Registered number: 6657145 Charity number: 1127321
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
DIRECTORS' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
CONTENTS
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisers | 1 |
| Trustees’ report (incorporating a Directors’ report) | 2 – 8 |
| Independent auditor’s report | 9 – 12 |
| Statement of financial activities | 13 |
| Balance sheet | 14 |
| Cash flow statement | 15 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 16 – 24 |
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE COMPANY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
Directors
G Lawlor S Price M J Ryan P L Talibart S E Raine (resigned 23 October 2023) E Roberts J Patterson Company number 6657145 Charity number 1127321 Registered office 35-41 Lower Marsh London SE1 7RL Company Secretary Xenia Murray Chief Executive Officer Ruth Dearnley OBE Independent Auditor Mercer & Hole LLP 21 Lombard Street London EC3V 9AH
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (Incorporating Directors’ Report) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
The Directors (who are also trustees of the charity for the purposes of the Charities Act) present their annual report together with the audited financial statements of STOP THE TRAFFIK (the company) for the year ended 31 August 2024. The Directors confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the company comply with the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, the requirements of the company's governing document and the provisions of the Charities SORP 2019 applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
Structure, governance, and management
a. Constitution
STOP THE TRAFFIK (“STT”) is a global movement whose purpose is to end the buying and selling of people. The STOP THE TRAFFIK movement arose from a campaign initiated by Oasis Charitable Trust (and a steering group of 6 other organisations) and has grown successfully since its inception in 2006.
STOP THE TRAFFIK, the company, was set up by a Memorandum of Association on 28 July 2008. It is also a registered charity, number 1127321. Oasis International Association (OIA) is the immediate parent with Oasis Charitable Trust (OCT) being the ultimate parent of the charitable company.
STOP THE TRAFFIK holds the name and legal rights to the use of the brand. The right to grant partnership status to any third-party entity either to operate on a national or regional basis remains the prerogative of the STOP THE TRAFFIK board. The principal object of the company is to promote Human Rights (as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and safeguarded by the Final Protocol to the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (1950), the United Nations Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery (1975), the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime with its Supplementary Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (2003) and any other United Nations conventions and declarations) and to prevent the infringement of human rights by modern slavery and human trafficking across the world.
The Directors have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the aims and objectives and in planning future activities. In particular, the Directors consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives.
b. Method of appointing Directors
The management of the company is the responsibility of the Directors who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Articles of Association. The appointment of new Directors is subject to the approval of the Directors of OIA.
c. Policies adopted for the induction and training of Directors
New Directors are given a full induction and training as required.
d. Remuneration of Key Management Personnel
The key management personnel of the Trust comprise the trustees and senior management team. The pay for all senior staff follows the pay scales of the organisation which are evaluated according to the responsibilities of the post, with set grades and increments of pay. The pay of the Chief Executive is benchmarked with charities of comparable scale and reach and approved by the Boards. STOP THE TRAFFIK has also set up a Nominations and Remuneration Committee which effectively oversees pay reviews, senior appointments, and associated issues. The CEO of STOP THE TRAFFIK is also a trustee of Traffik Analysis Hub and does not receive any remuneration for this role. Post year-end the CEO of STOP THE TRAFFIK stepped down from this role and Rebekah Lisgarten was appointed in November 2024 as the new CEO of STOP THE TRAFFIK.
e. Organisational structure and decision making
The Board of Directors have delegated day to day management of the company to the CEO but retain responsibility for major strategic and governance decisions. In order for STOP THE TRAFFIK to operate efficiently, the structure has developed as follows:
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (Incorporating Directors’ Report) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
The Executive provide subject matter expertise in line with the charity's strategic objectives and continues development of our strategy. Due to organisational growth in the last year, we have established an additional team of head of roles across STOP THE TRAFFIK's functionalities who drive the delivery of the strategy. The organisational team is arranged in a project management structure, driven by modern slavery and human trafficking intelligence to deliver products, projects, and services that seek to prevent exploitation in collaboration with our partners and clients.
Recognising the vast global data gap on MSHT, 2017 saw the development of the Traffik Analysis Hub (TA Hub) in partnership with IBM, translating the largest collection of survivor stories into the most comprehensive MSHT database in the world, able to identify hotspots and trends that turn data into real-time intelligence. STOP THE TRAFFIK actively shares intelligence with relevant stakeholders seeking to reduce harm and relies on the TA Hub to inform our programmes and products. Traffik Analysis Hub is a registered company (11451182) and a UK-registered charity (1192933).
STOP THE TRAFFIK and Traffik Analysis Hub work closely together strategically, culturally, and in our combined vision, operating with a shared leadership team. The two organisations remain separate legal entities.
STOP THE TRAFFIK recognises that we will not stop human trafficking alone. Critical to our model are our networks around the world including corporations, financial institutions, NGOs, frontline organisations, and data and technology hubs. These relationships, including intelligence and data sharing, project and programme collaborations, and joint awareness raising, are fundamental to our operations.
STOP THE TRAFFIK has one affiliate. The affiliation agreement is a voluntary commitment between the STOP THE TRAFFIK board and the Affiliate. It enables the Affiliate to use the STOP THE TRAFFIK brand in accordance with an agreed set of operating standards, with a clear understanding of the consequences of failure to meet the standards being the removal of permission to use the brand.
STOP THE TRAFFIK action groups consist of community-led volunteers who meet regularly to take local action to combat trafficking within their community. These groups are not started by STOP THE TRAFFIK and operate completely independently.
e. Risk management
The Directors have assessed the major risks to which the company is exposed, in particular those related cyber security, information, the operations and finances of the company and are satisfied that systems and procedures are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
The Director of Operations monitors a strategic risk register on an ongoing basis, regularly ensuring that risks are appropriately recorded and mitigating actions are taken swiftly.
The Audit & Risk committee meet quarterly to assess key areas of risk, prioritising any moderate-high impact risk areas, ensuring they are satisfied with the mitigations underway and providing expertise where needed. The Committee also ensures that adequate financial resources continue to sustain delivery and are sustainably managing growth.
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (Incorporating Directors’ Report) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
f. Financial review
Total income for the year ended 31 August 2024 amounted to £1,367,099 (2023: £1,134,342). Costs of raising voluntary income increased to £60,708 (2023: £15,545) and charitable activity expenditure decreased to £958,641 (2023: £1,714,597). Overall, a surplus of £347,750 (2023: a deficit of £595,800) is reported for the year.
STOP THE TRAFFIK’s income is generated through three distinct income streams:
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donations.
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grant funding.
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earned income.
All the income streams contribute towards the objectives of STOP THE TRAFFIK in preventing human trafficking globally, fuelled by intelligence. Donations contribute to the core running of our prevention operations, producing human trafficking intelligence, developing geo-targeted, digital prevention programmes, and collaborating with global and local partners to tackle human trafficking in their field of influence. Grant funding contributes to how our organisation measures the impact of our work (MEL), the scaling of our operations and intelligence-led capabilities, and the delivery of prevention projects targeted towards a particular demographic, location or exploitation type. Earned income stems from our work with organisations, businesses, and financial institutions through whom we provide products and services that work to identify human trafficking and modern slavery risk across supply chains and operations, helping clients to take appropriate steps to mitigate this risk, disrupting the systems on which traffickers depend. The earned income we receive goes back into our core funding.
STOP THE TRAFFIK also receives several donated services during the year. The company is very grateful to the relevant providers of those services. No financial value has been attributed to these services in the financial statements as the related activities would not have been undertaken if this time had not been donated. In addition, STOP THE TRAFFIK relies on volunteer time in order to carry out its activities at a local level. In line with the Charities SORP, this time has not been valued and included in the financial statements but amounts to an estimated 3,000 hours (2023: 5,250 hours). We thank all of the volunteers who have contributed to STOP THE TRAFFIK in this year.
g. Reserves
The Directors continue to review STOP THE TRAFFIK's need for reserves in line with the guidance issued by the Charity Commission and have adopted a policy to set aside funds of approximately three months running costs which is estimated to be £255k (2023: £238k). The level of funds at 31 August is £469,643 (unrestricted is £457,043 and restricted £12,600) (2023: total funds £121,893, of which £85,520 was unrestricted and £36,373 restricted).
h. Going concern
The Directors have reviewed all material risks which may impact the organisation's ability to continue as a going concern, including the current crisis around the increased cost of living. The Directors believe that despite any active risks, the charity remains a going concern. The Directors formed this conclusion by reviewing the financial performance of the organisation with reference to forecast levels of free reserves and cash flow projections. The Directors are confident that the charity has adequate resources to continue operating for the foreseeable future and, for this reason, the Directors continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the accounts.
The level of total reserves as at 31 August 2024 is £469,643 (2023: £121,893).
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (Incorporating Directors’ Report) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
Vision
To create a world where people are not bought or sold.
Mission
Leveraging the power of digital disruption to undermine the business of trafficking and improve the safety and choice of those targeted.
The Strategic Objectives
The high-level objectives of STOP THE TRAFFIK remain to create a world where people are not bought or sold.
Our objectives include:
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We prevent at-risk communities from being recruited, trafficked, and exploited.
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We disrupt money flows and thereby traffickers’ ability to make a profit from exploitation.
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We equip businesses with a prevention-focussed approach to mitigate exploitation embedded in supply chains.
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We encourage and facilitate frictionless data sharing to drive intelligence-led prevention.
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We create the best possible environment for our team, and global network, to thrive and drive our vision forward.
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We boldly communicate our pioneering approach to prevention to inspire others to join us to end human trafficking.
Our Values
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Disruptive : We challenge the systems and beliefs that allow trafficking to exist.
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Trusted : With openness and responding to evidence, we inspire confidence by demonstrating our integrity and honesty.
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Collaborative : We invest in generous and diverse relationships; recognising that through shared learning our vision can become a reality.
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Imaginative : We do things differently- our visionary approach enables us to innovate, design and deliver something new.
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Driven : With resilience, persistence, and courage, we are committed and impatient in our pursuit of systemic change.
Review of STOP THE TRAFFIK Performance & Impact
1. We prevent at-risk communities from being recruited, trafficked, and exploited.
This year, STOP THE TRAFFIK delivered 3 Prevention Programmes reaching over 1 million vulnerable people around the world, 70,000 of whom took action to access our safety information and keep themselves safe from harm. Programmes included:
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Prevenirea și Perturbare (PSP) Programme aimed to uncover hot spots of sexual exploitation in Romania, prevent the recruitment of at-risk women, and disrupt the organised crime groups operating the trafficking route between Romania and the UK.
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Aman Safety Programme aimed to prevent trafficking of refugees and asylum seekers in Greece and Türkiye, providing safety information in multiple languages and connecting beneficiaries with vetted frontline organizations.
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Workers’ Rights Programme aimed to inform Romanian and Albanian speakers in the London Boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Westminster, about the risks of labour exploitation.
2. We disrupt money flows and thereby traffickers’ ability to make a profit from exploitation.
- 100% of the Exploitation Analytics clients who responded to our survey reported taking actions that they otherwise would not have done because of STOP THE TRAFFIK’s intelligence. 60% of respondents
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (Incorporating Directors’ Report) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
shared they escalated suspicious activity reports for investigation within their bank that they otherwise would not have submitted.
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We published 16 sets of high-level strategic intelligence assessments, known as 'Key Judgments', drawing positive feedback from law enforcement and financial institutions who took action on their basis.
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We published 60 sets of tactical reports, short reports usually containing active intelligence, and ExploitX reports, datasets containing personal identifying information on potential bad actors. Financial institutions can use these reports to immediately escalate an investigation, i.e., by crosschecking their internal database for a listed phone number.
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Over the year, we trained 195 members across the financial sector to raise awareness of MSHT, spot the signs of exploitation, and report suspicions.
3. We equip businesses with a prevention-focussed approach to mitigate exploitation embedded in supply chains.
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We maintained and grew our Modern Slavery Intelligence Network (MSIN), made up of some of the largest food and beverage companies in the UK.
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The purpose of MSIN is for companies who are classically competitors to share data on this human rights abuse, to collectively reduce risk. We published 13 intelligence reports and 5 alerts on the platform for action by the members.
4. We encourage and facilitate frictionless data sharing to drive intelligence-led prevention.
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- The Traffik Analysis Hub (TA Hub) is the world's largest dataset on modern slavery and human trafficking. By the 31[st] August 2024, the TA Hub has grown to contain over 18 million data points from a range of sources including open and data ingested from frontline organisations who hold a wealth of survivor stories.
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- We have grown our network to 586 users of the TA Hub, including LEAs, FIs, businesses, researchers, and NGOs, with 204 of these organisations sharing data onto the platform, keeping it live and relevant.
Plans for the Future
Key activities for 24-25:
Our core mission and objectives remain the same as listed above. We will focus on a few key areas to continue developing and scaling our organisation and thus our impact, including:
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Working to degrade human trafficking operations in specific hotspots and routes through more bespoke and innovative safety campaigns.
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Building on the progress made by previous prevention campaigns, we aim to scale these programmes onto different social media platforms and capitalise on social media trends to better engage our key audiences.
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Prioritising key routes to focus our resource on high-risk geographies where we have rich intelligence as well as partnerships.
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Incorporating our financial intelligence and financial partnerships into our prevention programmes. For example, if we run a campaign in a specific country, we will engage local banks and FI’s to escalate intelligence during the campaign and provide training opportunities.
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Scaling our unique data, intelligence, and insights by investing in our technological capabilities and sharing across our extended networks with greater reach.
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Developing new tools to facilitate frictionless data sharing, mainly through the TA Hub.
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Building relationships with companies to source long-term pro-bono technological support, as we know that we can go further, faster when we collaborate.
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Investing in gathering stories of lived experience directly from NGOs and individuals to enhance the quality of data within the TA Hub.
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We will continue to centre survivor voices to pioneer tools that are led by lived experience narratives.
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (Incorporating Directors’ Report) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
-
Sharing actionable insights, in the form of intelligence products, with targeted audiences (financial institutions, businesses, NGOs, and relevant stakeholders).
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Maintaining and increasing our Exploitation Analytics client base.
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Expanding our output of tactical reporting to create more opportunities for clear and immediate actions.
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Developing new intelligence products to drive increased impact, for instance, an automated tool that detects false job ads.
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities
The Directors (who are also trustees of STOP THE TRAFFIK for the purposes of charity law) are responsible for preparing the Directors' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Directors are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.
The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Provision of information to auditors
Each of the persons who are Directors at the time when this Directors' report is approved has confirmed that:
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so far as that Director is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditor is unaware, and
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that Director has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Director in order to be aware of any information needed by the charitable company's auditor in connection with preparing their report and to establish that the charitable company's auditor is aware of that information.
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
TRUSTEES’ REPORT (Incorporating Directors’ Report) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
Auditors
Mercer & Hole LLP continue to act as auditors to the company and in accordance with section 485 of the Companies Act 2006, a resolution that they be re-appointed will be put at a General Meeting.
In preparing this report, the Directors have taken advantage of the small companies exemptions provided by section 415A of the Companies Act 2006.
This report was approved by the Directors on 12 December 2024 and signed on their behalf by:
Geraldine Lawlor Trustee
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Stop The Traffik
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Stop the Traffik (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 August 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion the financial statements:
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give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 August 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
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have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
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have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in which the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you where:
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the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is not appropriate, or
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the trustees have not disclosed in the financial statements any identified material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt about the charitable company’s ability to continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting for a period of at least twelve months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Other information
The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Stop The Traffik
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
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the information given in the Trustees’ Report, which includes the Directors’ Report prepared for the purposes of Company Law for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
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the Directors’ Report which is included in the Trustees’ Report, has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Directors’ Report or the Trustees’ Report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
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adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
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the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
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certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
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we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit, or
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the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies exemption in preparing the Trustees’ Report and from the requirement to prepare a Strategic Report.
Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the Trustees’ responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purpose of company law), are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Stop The Traffik
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
Explanation as to what extent the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud
Based on our understanding of the company and industry, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to breaches in Health & Safety and General Data Protection Regulations, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance may have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006.
We evaluated management's incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements and the financial report (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to posting inappropriate entries including journals to overstate revenue or understate expenditure, and management bias in accounting estimates.
Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:
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discussions with management, including considerations of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud;
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evaluation of the operating effectiveness of management's controls designed to prevent and detect irregularities;
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identifying and testing journal entries.
Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of Stop The Traffik
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed
Helen Cain , Senior Statutory Auditor
For and on behalf of Mercer & Hole LLP, Statutory Auditor
Mercer & Hole LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006
21 Lombard Street London EC3V 9AH Date: 12 December 2024
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (Incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
| Note INCOME FROM: Donations and legacies 2 Charitable activities 3 TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON: Raising funds 4 Charitable activities 5 TOTAL INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) FOR THE YEAR, BEING NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Total funds at 1 September 2023 TOTAL FUNDS AT 31 AUGUST 2024 |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds Total funds 2024 £ 2024 £ 2024 £ 2023 £ 736,032 294,625 1,030,657 587,430 336,442 - 336,442 546,912 |
|---|---|
1,072,474 294,625 1,367,099 1,134,342 |
|
60,708 - 60,708 15,545 640,243 318,398 958,641 1,714,597 |
|
700,951 318,398 1,019,349 1,730,142 |
|
| 371,523 (23,773) 347,750 (595,800) 85,520 36,373 121,893 717,693 |
|
| 457,043 12,600 469,643 121,893 |
The notes on pages 16 to 24 form part of these financial statements.
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee) REGISTERED NUMBER: 6657145
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 AUGUST 2024
| 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| FIXED ASSETS | |||||
| Tangible assets | 9 | 583 | 982 | ||
| CURRENT ASSETS | |||||
| Debtors | 10 | 135,793 | 183,385 | ||
| Cash at bank and in hand | 473,071 | 129,544 | |||
| 608,864 | 312,929 | ||||
| CREDITORS:amounts falling due within | |||||
| one year | 11 | (139,804) | (192,018) | ||
| NET CURRENT ASSETS | 469,060 | 120,911 | |||
| NET ASSETS | 469,643 | 121,893 | |||
| CHARITY FUNDS | |||||
| Unrestricted funds | 12 | 457,043 | 85,520 | ||
| Restricted funds | 12 | 12,600 | 36,373 | ||
| TOTAL FUNDS | 12 | 469,643 | 121,893 |
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to companies subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the board on 12 December 2024 and were signed on its behalf by:
Geraldine Lawlor Trustee
The notes on pages 16 to 24 form part of these financial statements.
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee) REGISTERED NUMBER: 6657145 CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
| Cash flows from operating activities Net income/(expenditure) Adjustments for: Decrease in debtors (Decrease)/increase in creditors Depreciation of fixed assets Net cash inflow/(outflow) from operating activities Cash flows from investing activities Acquisition of fixed assets Net increase/(decrease) in cash in the year Reconciliation of net cash flow movements to net funds Net increase/(decrease) in cash in the year At 1 September At 31 August Consisting of: Barclays Current Account |
2024 £ 347,750 47,592 (52,214) 399 343,527 - 343,527 343,527 129,544 473,071 473,071 473,071 |
2023 £ (595,800) 166,307 111,371 366 |
|---|---|---|
| (317,756) | ||
| (1,348) (319,104) |
||
| (319,104) 448,648 |
||
| 129,544 | ||
| 129,544 | ||
| 129,544 |
The notes on pages 16 to 24 form part of these financial statements.
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STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
1.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements
The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS102 the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland, the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1 January 2019. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
The financial statements of the company are consolidated in the financial statements of Oasis Charitable Trust. These consolidated financial statements are available from its registered office, 1 Kennington Road, London, SE1 7QP. The company has taken advantage of the exemption under section 400 of the Companies Act 2006 not to prepare consolidated financial statements. The financial statements present information about the company as an individual entity and not about its group.
1.2 Company status
The company is a company limited by guarantee, incorporated and domiciled in the UK and is a public benefit entity. Oasis International Association is the sole member of the company. The address of the registered office is 1 Kennington Road, London, SE1 7QP. In the event of the company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the company. Details of the principal activities of the company are given within the Directors’ Report. The accounts have been prepared in GBP and have been rounded to the nearest pound.
1.3 Going concern
The Directors have reviewed all material risks which may impact the organisation’s ability to continue as a going concern, including the current crisis around the increased cost of living. The Directors believe that despite any active risks, the charity remains a going concern. The Directors formed this conclusion by reviewing the financial performance of the organisation with reference to forecast levels of free reserves and cash flow projections. The Directors are confident that the Company has adequate resources to continue operating for the foreseeable future and, for this reason, the Directors continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the accounts.
1.4 Fund accounting
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Directors in furtherance of the general objectives of the company and which have not been designated for other purposes.
Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors which have been raised by the company for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund.
1.5 Income
All income included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the company is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy and the likelihood of receipt of the income is probable. Income includes gifts and donations, grants, event and contract income as listed in note 2. Gifts and donations are recognised when receivable and grant income is recognised in the period applicable for the grant funding. Income received in advance for future periods is held as deferred income.
Page 16
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
1.6 Expenditure
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings: Expenditure on raising funds includes costs associated in raising individual giving income. Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of educational activities undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs.
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred. Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back-office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support STT’s operations and activities.
1.7 Pensions
The Company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions are charged to the income and expenditure account as they become payable in accordance with the rules of the scheme. Pension costs relating to staff working on restricted funded projects are recorded as part of the restricted expenditure.
1.8 Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid after taking account of any trade discounts due.
1.9 Cash at bank and in hand
- Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
1.10 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation
Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives on the following bases:
Computer Equipment 33%
1.11 Creditors and provisions
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
1.12 Financial instruments
The company has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value. Financial assets held at amortised cost comprise cash and bank and in hand, together with trade and other debtors. Financial liabilities held at amortised cost comprise bank loans and overdrafts, trade and other creditors.
1.13 Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty
In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates, assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
Page 17
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an on-going basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects the current and future periods.
In the view of the directors, no assumptions concerning the future or estimation uncertainty affecting assets and liabilities at the balance sheet date are likely to result in a material adjustment to their carrying amounts in the next financial year.
2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES
| Donations Grants |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds 2024 £ 2024 £ 2024 £ 207,582 - 207,582 528,450 294,625 823,075 |
Total funds 2023 £ 177,695 409,735 |
|---|---|---|
| 736,032 294,625 1,030,657 |
587,430 |
3. INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
| Consultancy income | Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds Total funds 2024 £ 2024 £ 2024 £ 2023 £ 336,442 - 336,442 546,912 336,442 - 336,442 546,912 |
|---|---|
4. EXPENDITURE ON RAISING FUNDS
| Salary cost on raising funds | Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds Total funds 2024 £ 2024 £ 2024 £ 2023 £ 60,708 0 60,708 15,545 |
|---|---|
Page 18
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
5. EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVTIES
| Travel and subsistence Communication costs Bank charges Rent and office costs Sundry expenses Wages and salaries National insurance Pension cost Recruitment costs Consultancy Equipment cost Website Depreciation IT Support Charges Advertising and publicity Oasis Charges Subscriptions Training costs Governance costs Software charges The costs above are classified as: Direct Costs 2024 £ Total 904,591 6. GOVERNANCE COSTS Audit fees Accountancy fees |
Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 4,100 1,217 630 12,000 7,252 341,156 41,861 27,368 4,168 66,700 327 7,947 399 70,282 16 12,000 7,140 9,425 6,118 20,137 |
Restricted funds 2024 £ 914 - - - 20 246,500 26,029 17,286 - 27,290 - - - - 359 - - - - - 318,398 Governance costs 2024 £ 6,118 |
Total 2024 £ 5,014 1,217 630 12,000 7,272 587,656 67,890 44,654 4,168 93,990 327 7,947 399 70,282 375 12,000 7,140 9,425 6,118 20,137 |
Total 2023 £ 6,133 754 342 10,383 12,463 1,226,052 125,777 83,443 8,076 99,318 876 3,592 366 50,785 1,779 34,140 3,188 396 24,176 22,558 1,714,597 Total costs 2023 £ 1,714,597 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 640,243 | 958,641 | ||||
| Support Costs 2024 £ 47,932 |
|||||
| Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 6,050 68 6,118 |
Restricted funds 2024 £ - - - |
Total funds 2024 £ 6,050 68 6,118 |
Total funds 2023 £ 6,750 17,426 24,176 |
Page 19
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
7. NET INCOME
This is stated after charging:
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Auditor’s remuneration | 6,050 | 6,750 |
| Pension costs | 44,654 | 83,443 |
During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration or any reimbursed expenses.
8. STAFF COSTS
Staff costs were as follows:
| Wages and salaries Social security costs Other pension costs |
2024 £ 648,364 67,890 44,654 760,908 |
2023 £ 1,241,597 125,777 83,443 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,450,817 |
Pension costs are split between unrestricted and restricted expenditure. Amounts are allocated to restricted expenditure based on the employees who have been working on restricted projects.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
| Charitable activities Support activities |
2024 14 3 17 |
2023 30 5 |
|---|---|---|
| 35 |
One employee received remuneration amounting to more than £60,000 (2023: one employee). The CEO, senior management of the Oasis Group and Trustees form the key management personnel of the company. The salary and pension contribution for the CEO was £74,422 (2023: £80,377) and this is a cost borne by STT. Trustees did not receive any remuneration or expense reimbursement in either year. The CEO of STOP THE TRAFFIK is also a trustee of Traffik Analysis Hub, and does not receive any remuneration for this role.
Page 20
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
9. FIXED ASSETS
| Cost At 1 September 2023 Additions At 31 August 2024 Depreciation At 1 September 2023 Charge for the year At 31 August 2024 Net book value At 1 September 2023 At 31 August 2024 10. DEBTORS Trade debtors Amounts owed from group undertakings Prepayments and accrued income 11. CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year Trade creditors Amounts owed to group undertakings Taxes and social security costs Accruals and deferred income |
Computer Equipment £ 1,348 - 1,348 366 399 765 982 583 2024 2023 £ £ 88,165 74,789 11,902 100,103 35,726 8,493 135,793 183,385 2024 2023 £ £ 15,211 7,446 - - 57,180 70,767 67,413 113,805 139,804 192,018 |
Computer Equipment £ 1,348 - 1,348 366 399 765 982 583 2024 2023 £ £ 88,165 74,789 11,902 100,103 35,726 8,493 135,793 183,385 2024 2023 £ £ 15,211 7,446 - - 57,180 70,767 67,413 113,805 139,804 192,018 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 £ 88,165 11,902 35,726 135,793 2024 £ 15,211 - 57,180 67,413 139,804 |
|||
| 183,385 | |||
| 2023 £ 7,446 - 70,767 113,805 |
|||
| 192,018 |
Page 21
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
Deferred income included in the figures above:
| Deferred income at beginning of the year Resources deferred in the year Amounts released from previous year Deferred income at the end of the year 12. SUMMARY OF FUNDS 2024 Brought Forward Incoming resources £ £ General funds 85,520 1,072,474 Restricted funds 36,373 294,625 121,893 1,367,099 |
Deferred income at beginning of the year Resources deferred in the year Amounts released from previous year Deferred income at the end of the year 12. SUMMARY OF FUNDS 2024 Brought Forward Incoming resources £ £ General funds 85,520 1,072,474 Restricted funds 36,373 294,625 121,893 1,367,099 |
2024 £ 2023 £ 77,170 26,447 55,083 77,170 (77,170) (26,447) |
|---|---|---|
| 55,083 77,170 |
||
| Resources Expended Carried Forward £ £ 700,951 457,043 318,398 12,600 1,019,349 469,643 |
||
| 121,893 1,367,099 |
Restricted funds above relate to restricted projects that are for a specific purpose, including: AMAN Safety funded by Comic Relief, PAN-London Data Project funded by City Bridge Trust, Human Trafficking Data Projects funded by Swire.
SUMMARY OF FUNDS 2023
| SUMMARY OF FUNDS 2023 | |
|---|---|
| General funds Restricted funds |
Brought Forward Incoming Resources Resources Expended Carried Forward £ £ £ £ 636,669 914,003 (1,465,152) 85,520 81,024 220,339 (264,990) 36,373 |
| 717,693 1,134,342 (1,730,142) 121,893 |
Page 22
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
13. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS 2024
| Unrestricted funds 2024 £ Fixed Assets 583 Current assets 572,795 Creditors due within one year (116,335) 457,043 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS 2023 Unrestricted funds 2023 £ Fixed Assets 982 Current assets 269,861 Creditors due within one year (185,323) 85,520 |
Restricted funds 2024 £ - 36,069 (23,469) 12,600 Restricted funds 2023 £ - 43,068 (6,695) 36,373 |
Total funds 2024 £ 583 608,864 (139,804) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 469,643 | |||
| Total funds 2023 £ 982 312,929 (192,018) 121,893 |
|||
14. ULTIMATE PARENT UNDERTAKING AND CONTROLLING PARTY
The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Oasis International Association (OIA), a company incorporated in England (registered number 04255992) and a registered charity (1098100). OIA is the immediate parent company and has the power to appoint and remove trustees. Copies of the Oasis International Association financial statements are available from its registered office at 1 Kennington Road, London. SE1 7QP.
Oasis Charitable Trust (OCT) is the Ultimate Parent and is a company incorporated in England (registered number 02818823) and a registered charity (registered charity number 1026487). Oasis Charitable Trust prepares consolidated financial statements which include the results of STOP THE TRAFFIK. Copies of the Oasis Charitable Trust group financial statements are available from its registered office at 1 Kennington Road, London, SE1 7QP.
OCT’s principal objectives are to:
-
To ensure that the national group of organisations is governed well and in accordance with Oasis theology and ethos.
-
To maintain the cohesion of the family of Oasis organisations in the UK by ensuring that the Oasis vision, mission, and ethos is understood and implemented across the group of organisations.
-
To lead the integration of work across the subsidiaries and to grow and develop Oasis Hubs – the Oasis model of community transformation.
-
To promote the corporate message of Oasis.
Page 23
STOP THE TRAFFIK
(A company limited by guarantee)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
15. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
During the year the company made the following transactions with other group companies:
-
An amount of £12,000 (2023: £34,140) was paid by STOP THE TRAFFIK to Oasis Charitable Trust in respect of support for central services and rent. At the year-end a balance of £11,902 (2023: £292 owed to STOP THE TRAFFIK from Oasis Charitable Trust) was owed to STOP THE TRAFFIK from Oasis Charitable Trust.
-
STOP THE TRAFFIK provided services in respect of support for central services, salaries, pensions and office costs at the value of £162,500 (2023 £260,434) to Traffik Analysis Hub (TA Hub) during the year. At the year-end a balance of £nil (2023 £99,811) was owed from TA Hub to STOP THE TRAFFIK.
There were no other related party transactions.
16. SUBSIDIARY UNDERTAKINGS
STT is the sole member of TA Hub Limited (company number 11451182), a company limited by guarantee. STT’s liability as member of TA Hub is limited to £10. The companies registered address is 35-41 Lower Marsh, London, SE1 7RL. For the year ended 31 August 2024, TA Hub generated income of £181,459 (2023: £216,648) resulting in a surplus of £11,232 (2023: £133,403 deficit). As at 31 August 2024 TA Hub held gross assets of £71,807 (2023: £189,111) and total funds of £43,346 (2023: £32,114).
17. STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES – COMPARATIVES
| Note INCOME FROM: Donations and legacies 2 Charitable activities 3 TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON: Raising funds 4 Charitable activities 5 TOTAL INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) FOR THE YEAR, BEING NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Total funds at 1 September 2022 TOTAL FUNDS AT 31 AUGUST 2023 |
Unrestricted funds Designated funds Restricted funds Total funds 2023 £ 2023 £ 2023 £ 2023 £ 367,091 - 220,339 587,430 546,912 - - 546,912 |
|---|---|
| 914,003 - 220,339 1,134,342 |
|
15,545 - - 15,545 1,449,607 - 264,990 1,714,597 |
|
1,465,152 - 264,990 1,730,142 |
|
| (551,149) - (44,651) (595,800) 636,669 - 81,024 717,693 |
|
| 85,520 - 36,373 121,893 |
Page 24